FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Pennsylvania

January 28, 2015
IF10096

January 28, 2015
FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Pennsylvania
Overview
The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is managed by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is the
primary source of funding used to provide assistance
following a major disaster declaration. The authority to
declare a major disaster is provided to the President under
the Robert T. Stafford Emergency Relief and Disaster
Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288).
Figure 1. DRF Obligations for Declared Major
Disasters in Pennsylvania, by Fiscal Year
Figures are in millions of dollars. The number of declarations
per year is in parentheses.
The information below includes only the funding provided
as a result of a major disaster declaration, not other
assistance funded through the DRF. Additionally, this
information does not include other federal sources of
disaster assistance, such as Small Business Administration
disaster loans.
FEMA administers disaster relief through regional offices
around the country. Pennsylvania is part of Region III,
headquartered in Philadelphia, PA.
Major Disaster Declarations:
FY2000-FY2013
A total of 14 major disaster declarations were made in the
commonwealth of Pennsylvania between FY2000 and
FY2013. During that time, there were also two requests for
major disaster declarations that were denied. The approved
declarations led to $1.0 billion in federal obligations from
the Disaster Relief Fund. This funding does not include the
assistance that was provided directly by the state, either as a
cost-share for federal assistance, or through the state’s own
authorities and programs. There was a high level of
variation in the amount of funding obligated each year, with
nearly $500 million obligated in FY2011 alone. Figure 1
displays the total funding obligated to Pennsylvania each
year. The highest number of declarations in one year
occurred in FY2004 and FY2011, each of which had three
declarations.
Significant Incidents
The most significant incident in Pennsylvania was Tropical
Storm Lee, which occurred in FY2011. This incident led to
nearly $374 million in federal funding from the DRF.
Other major incidents include Tropical Depression Ivan in
FY2004, severe storms in FY2006, and Hurricane Irene in
FY2011. Pennsylvania also received assistance as a result
of Hurricane Sandy in FY2013.
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligations data as of June 2014.
Notes: Figures above reflect both actual obligations and projected
obligations. Only obligations from the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund are
included. Please consult the “Additional Resources” section for
information on other federal assistance programs.
www.crs.gov | 7-5700
FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Pennsylvania
Types of Assistance Provided for Major
Disasters
Other Assistance Funded Through the
DRF
A major disaster declaration can include funding for
different purposes, depending on the needs of the state.
These purposes include:
In addition to the major disasters listed above, there are also
other forms of assistance that are funded through the
Disaster Relief Fund. These include both Emergency
Declarations and Fire Management Assistance Grants. The
assistance provided for these declarations typically involves
lower obligation levels than major disaster declarations,
although there is significant variation across incidents.
• Public Assistance (PA) that is used to conduct debris
removal operations, repair or replace damaged public
infrastructure, and other assistance;
• Individual Assistance (IA) that provides direct aid to
impacted households, and other assistance;
• Hazard Mitigation (HM) that funds resilience projects
and programs, typically across the whole state; and
Emergency Declarations are often made at the time a threat
is recognized and are issued to assist state, local, and tribal
efforts prior to the incident.
• FEMA administrative costs associated with each
Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) provide aid
for the control, management, and mitigation of fires.
The decision to provide certain types of assistance is made
at the time of the major disaster declaration. For many
major disasters, all of the assistance types outlined above
will be authorized. For others, some assistance types will
not be included. Figure 2 compares the amounts expended
for different types of assistance that were provided to
Pennsylvania from FY2000 to FY2013.
Additional Resources
disaster declaration.
Figure 2. DRF Assistance for Pennsylvania, by Type
(FY2000-FY2013)
There are many existing CRS products that address issues
related to the Disaster Relief Fund, the disaster declaration
process, and federal emergency management policy. Below
is a list of several of these resources:
• CRS Report R41981, Congressional Primer on
Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies
• CRS Report R43519, Natural Disasters and Hazards:
CRS Experts
• CRS Report RL34146, FEMA’s Disaster Declaration
Process: A Primer
• CRS Report R42845, Federal Emergency Management:
A Brief Introduction
• CRS Report R43537, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund:
Overview and Selected Issues
• CRS Report RL33053, Federal Stafford Act Disaster
Assistance: Presidential Declarations, Eligible
Activities, and Funding
FEMA is also responsible for administering the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). More information on
whether your community participates in this program can
be found in the NFIP Community Status Book at fema.gov.
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of June 2014.
County Impact
Since 2000, 67 localities in Pennsylvania have received aid
under a major disaster declaration. Wyoming County has
received assistance for major disasters 10 times across this
period, which is the highest number in the state.
CRS Experts
FEMA Disaster Assistance:
Francis X. McCarthy, fmccarthy@crs.loc.gov, 7-9533
Bruce R. Lindsay, blindsay@crs.loc.gov, 7-3752
Jared T. Brown, jbrown@crs.loc.gov, 7-4918
National Flood Insurance Program:
Rawle King, rking@crs.loc.gov, 7-5975
Daniel J. Richardson, drichardson@crs.loc.gov, 7-2389
IF10096
www.crs.gov | 7-5700